Maximum Security
by FaithinBones
Summary: Imprisoned, Booth finds out what security really means. This story is AU and takes place after "The Recluse in the Recliner".
1. Chapter 1

This takes place after "The Recluse in the Recliner" so if you haven't see that episode and you want to be spoiler free, please skip this story until you have seen it.

This little story popped into my head and I thought you might find it interesting. Let me know what you think of it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

After four weeks in dispensary, Booth was finally assigned to a prison cell. Walking carefully, he held his right arm against his chest as he followed a prison guard to his new home.

Smirking, one of the two prison guards following behind Booth remarked, "A cop usually doesn't do well in prison. Course, as far as I'm concerned, cop killers get what they deserve."

Sniggering the second guard remarked, "Yeah, I'm not likely to want to help someone like that."

Ignoring them, Booth kept his eyes on his surroundings, trying to prepare himself for what was likely to come.

Arriving at his cell, one of the guards behind him pushed him roughly in to the cell and laughed, "Good luck, Agent Booth. You're going to need it."

Stumbling in to the small room, Booth grabbed the edge of the bed to keep himself from falling to the ground. Passive, Booth turned and stared at the guard.

Irritated, the guard sneered, "Think you're tough?" Snapping his fingers, Johnson snarled, "You're life isn't worth shit. It will be a miracle if you make it to trial."

Staring impassively at the guard, Booth stared at Johnson until the guard broke eye contact.

Furious, Johnson snarled at the other guards, "Come on, I haven't got all day to dick around with a piece of shit."

Smirking, Booth sat down on his bed and watched the guards close his cell door and walk away.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the dining hall, Booth stared at the food on his tray and thought about nothing at all. Feeling someone bend over behind him, he saw a hand take his slice of bread off of his tray and sit down next to him.

Stuffing the bread slice into his mouth, the very large man smiled at Booth but remained silent. Staring at the bread thief, Booth reached over and took the bread slice on the man's tray and placed it on his. Surprised, the stranger laughed and then ate his meal in silence.

Booth, puzzled by the man's odd behavior, picked up his fork and ate his meal. When he'd finished, the wary former agent looked around and noticed that he was being observed by several men. Staring boldly at them, Booth smirked, picked up his tray and carried it over to a trustee who was collecting the empty trays from the inmates.

Walking back to his cell, he noticed that he was being followed. Turning he noticed that his table mate was standing several feet behind him. Frowning, Booth stood silently and waited to see what was going to happen. Soon the large man shrugged his shoulders and walked past him. Keeping his eye on the man, Booth noticed him enter the cell next to his. Walking slowly towards his cell, Booth affected an air of indifference. Arriving at his cell, he entered the tiny room and sat down on his bed. Staring at the floor, he tried to keep his mind blank, his emotions under control.

Several minutes passed and the noise of the area around him seemed to fade away. His thoughts turning towards his small family, Booth clenched his jaw, determined to keep his emotions from betraying him.

"Well, looky here." A man Booth didn't know, wearing a prisoner uniform stepped two paces into the cell and sneered, "So you're a Feeb. I don't like Feebs."

Standing, Booth turned to face the unwelcome visitor.

Confident, the man puffed out his chest, "I've killed men like you and thought nothing of it, Feeb."

Unemotional, Booth watched the man slap a fist into an open hand. Setting his feet, Booth prepared to defend himself.

The menace, laughingly shook his head, "I heard you were shot and still recovering. Whatever ninja skills you have won't mean jack shit right now. I think I'll just go ahead and take care of you now."

Stepping forward, the would-be assassin moved with a belligerence that set Booth's teeth on edge. Lifting his hands, preparing to protect himself, Booth was surprised to see his neighbor step in to his cell, grab the would-be murderer by the collar and drag him from the cell. Slamming the menace to the ground, the muscular inmate lifted his foot and pressed it against the top of the flopping man's chest.

Yelling, the downed man begged, "Why are you doing this? That man is a Feeb. I'm doing us all a favor. Let me go."

Grinding his large foot into the smaller man's chest, Booth's rescuer smiled, "I don't like you. I don't like you at all. You're a piece of fucking shit. That man in there just happens to be a friend of mine." Raising his voice so that it carried for several feet around him, the man spoke, "The Feeb is my friend. Anyone and I mean anyone touch him and I'll tear his heart out and feed it to him. Do I make myself clear?"

Squeaking, the writhing man lying on the ground, tried to lift the paladin's foot from his chest, "Okay . . . Okay, I can't breathe man."

Removing his foot, the large menace kicked the gasping man in the thigh, "You little piss ant, get the hell out of my sight before I turn you into a eunuch."

Uncertain what a eunuch was, but not taking any chances, the frightened man scrambled to his feet and walked rapidly away.

The large man, turned to stare at Booth for a minute and then stepped into his cell, "Agent Booth, you've been a very bad boy as far as the law is concerned. Me? I don't give a shit what you did." Holding out his hand, the man stared intently at Booth, "My name is Max Boyer. You're the son-in-law of Max Keenan and that means you're under my protection from here on out. By this time tomorrow, everyone will know about your connection to Max and to me and that should take care of the gnats around here."

Surprised, Booth shook Max's hand, "Max asked you take care of me?"

Shaking his head, Max leaned against the cell wall, "Nope. He didn't have to. I've known Max all of my life, in fact, I was named after him. He's my father's cousin. I know about you and Tempe and Russ. Kin is kin. You're my cousin-in-law and I will protect what belongs to me."

Shocked, Booth crossed his arms, "Does Temperance know about you?"

Shaking his head, Max sadly replied, "Nah. I was born before Max hooked up with Christine. He and Dad did a few jobs together when they were younger. When my Dad was killed in a car accident Mom and I lived with Max for about four years. When my mother died of breast cancer Max knew his life style sucked so he let my grandparents raise me. He gave them money to take care of my bills and he visited me several times a year. He did the best he could."

Sitting down on his bed, Booth asked, "Why are you in here?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max smiled, "A little misunderstanding between me and Union First Market Bank. I'll be out in ten. I made a withdrawal that they didn't approve of." Laughing, Max shook his head, "Boy was Max pissed. That Max is a character. He robbed banks for years and I do one little job and that old man gets all pissy. Go figure."

Suspicious, Booth remarked, "Seems kind of weird I just happen to be in the same prison that you're in."

Laughing, Max shook his head, "Don't be naive, cousin Seeley. You didn't just happen to be sent to this jail." Sitting on the bed staring at Booth, the large man shook his head, "Max has connections. Connections that would shock the hell out of you."

Pursing his lips, Booth frowned, "I wouldn't be shocked at all."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Reviews would be great, thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

This is a reminder that this story is AU and takes place after "The Recluse in the Recliner". If you haven't seen the season Finale yet then this story is a major spoiler.

Thank you for your enthusiastic reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the chair facing the glass partition, Brennan fiddled with the headphones, setting them and resetting them on her head and over her ears. Concentrating on settling the ear covers over her ears she was unaware of Booth's arrival until she heard a faint taping on the glass. Looking up, she flashed a smile at her husband, "Booth."

Devouring her with his eyes, Booth placed the headset on his head and placed his hand on the glass partition. Brennan, leaning forward, placed her hand on the glass, aligning her hand over his. Feasting his eyes on her, Booth finally spoke, "I love you."

Nodding, her eyes scanned her husband, looking him over to make sure he wasn't being abused. Satisfied that he seemed to be in as good of health as she could expect, she felt her joy spread across her face, "I love you too Booth."

Staring intently at her, Booth asked, "How's Christine?"

Lowering her hand, Brennan picked up a picture resting on the table before her and held it up for him to see, "She's doing well. As you can see, she's wearing her tiara. She wanted you to see it."

Chuckling, Booth stared at the picture, memorizing the features of his daughter, "She is my little princess."

Clearing her throat, Brennan moved her hand against the glass partition watching as her husband placed his hand on the glass again covering it. "Booth, how are your injuries?"

Flicking his eyes sideways and then back at her, Booth replied, "Right as rain, Bones. Ready to kick ass as needed."

Understanding his bravado, Brennan smiled, "I suppose your fellow guests are now aware that you were Special Forces besides being a career FBI agent and the finest sniper in the District."

Smirking, Booth flicked his eyes to the side again and then back, "Oh, they know. I also have a new friend."

Curious, Brennan asked, "You were always good at making friends."

Poking his tongue in his cheek, Booth thought about his next sentence very carefully, "Tell Max thanks."

Puzzled, Brennan nodded her head, "Yes of course."

Pleased, Booth's eyes twinkled, "How'd I get to be so lucky, Bones?"

Frowning, Brennan glanced around and then back noticing her partners small head shake, "I . . . yes, you are very lucky. I'm quite a catch."

Guffawing, Booth folded his hand a little as if to clasp her hand, "You really are, Bones." Hearing the warning sound, Booth hurried up, "I love you Bones. I'll always love you."

Feeling a tightness in her breast, Brennan also folded her hand as if she could grab the hand of her husband, "I love you, Booth."

Taking off his head phones, Booth stood up, waved at her and walked away. Watching him leave, Brennan set her face in stone and stood up. Staring coldly at the guards as she walked by them, she kept her emotions from appearing upon her face until she was in her car and driving down the road back towards home. Feeling tears drain from her flooded eyes, Brennan vowed to the universe, "I will get you out of there, Booth. I will not fail you."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Waiting for Booth in the hallway, Max Boyer frowned, "How'd it go?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth's face became stern, "She's fine."

Following Booth down the hallway and to the common area, the larger man pointed over towards the weights, "Want to spot me?"

Indifferent, Booth followed his cousin by marriage over to the weights. Kicking a younger man's foot who was lying on a bench holding up some weights, Max sneered, "Up and at em Alice. Real men want to show you how it's done."

Carefully placing the weights on its rest, the younger man quickly sat up, "Who the . . . Oh." Standing up, the worried young man moved away from the bench and watched the much bigger man slip plates onto the bar until he had the amount of weight he wanted. Lying on the bench, Max caught Booth's eye, "I know you're still recovering, just make sure I don't break my damn neck."

Standing at the head of the bench, Booth watched Max lift the bar from the rack and pump it up and down towards his chest several times. Once Max had finished, he placed the bar back on the rack and then sat up, "I really should stretch before I do shit like that. I was just showing off."

Smiling, Booth walked away from his friend over to a table and sat down on it's surface, "I'm doing light exercises every night. Since I don't have a therapist I'll have to take care of it myself."

Sitting on the chair, Max leaned back and looked up at the former agent, "Switch to the mornings and I'll help you. We need you well as soon as possible. Once you're recovered enough maybe you can train me in some of your Special Forces ninja crap. I'd like to add that shit to my fucking reputation. I figure in a few months time, I'll own this hell hole and you can be my lieutenant."

Shaking his head, Booth responded, "Nope, I'm going to be out of here in a few weeks so no can do. If I have time, I will teach you some stuff if you want me to. It's not like I have anything better to do."

Staring intently at Booth, Max finally said, "Look, Seeley, don't get your hopes up that you're going to get out of here fast. It doesn't usually work like that. You have to be patient."

Glancing around, Booth sighed, "Yeah, I hear you. I need to get home as soon as I can. My wife is brilliant and she's tops in her field, but she needs me home. She'll work herself in to the ground if I'm not there to make sure she rests. She has a bad habit of skipping meals too. She's a genius and if she's not careful she starts to live in her head."

"Max will make sure she does okay." Folding his arms across his chest, Max frowned, "She's got friends doesn't she? Maybe they can help pick up the slack while you're gone."

Swallowing, Booth frowned, "Maybe. I hope so. Since we have a daughter that will help. Christine will help keep her grounded in the real world."

Curious, Max asked, "What's it like to be married to a genius?"

Staring at his left hand, Booth frowned at his finger, touching the skin where his ring should be. Booth tried to remember the weight of the band of gold as he said, "I knew Bones a long time before we got married. It took a little getting used to but really, I love that beautiful brain of hers. When she does math, you can see the gears moving. She gets this look on her face when she's thinking that . . . I don't know, it's hard to explain. I just love to see her work on a problem. It's really hot as hell. She can think circles around me but I don't give a damn."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Doing slow situps, Booth felt the tug on the muscles around his recovering wounds. Gritting his teeth, he tried to concentrate on the movements of his body and not the pain.

Slapping his thighs, Max shook his head, "Wait, Seeley. Look let's not do situps right now. Why don't you do hand weights and stretching exercises right now. In a week we can add stuff but I think you should be careful not to do anything that can get you hurt."

Stopping, Booth stared at his friend, "I can take it."

Shaking his head, Max commented, "That's not the point. You aren't supposed to be doing anything that stressful. Let's be careful. You'll get there and really there isn't any hurry is there?"

Licking his bottom lip, Booth sighed, "I need to be well and strong when I leave here. I don't know what I'm going to be up against when I get out of here."

Cocking his head, Max responded, "You have time, Seeley. Let's do this my way. I promise, I'll help you get your shit back together so you'll be ready to kick ass when you leave here."

Standing, Booth nodded his head, "Okay, we'll do it your way for now."

Oooooooooooooooo

Reviews would be wonderful, thanks.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for the reviews and favorites. I really appreciate them.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Moving down the row of alcoves, Booth was surprised when he saw Max waiting for him. Sitting down across from his father-in-law, Booth grabbed his headphones, slipped them on and demanded, "Why are you here? Is something wrong with Bones? Is Christine okay?"

Holding up his hand, Max smiled, "Whoa, everyone is fine. Can't a man visit his son-in-law? I just came to see you that's all. I wanted to make sure you're doing okay."

Relieved, Booth felt the tension melt from his body, "I'm fine."

Leaning forward, Max looked his son-in-law over and smiled, "You look pretty good for someone who was shot and dragged off to jail."

Irritated, Booth frowned at the older man, "I've been in worse situations."

Sober, Max nodded his head, "Yeah, I know. Are you having any trouble in here?"

Shaking his head, Booth replied, "Nope. I think your cousin scared the shit out of everyone."

Chuckling, Max nodded his head, "Max is a good kid. I knew I could count on him to make sure everyone knew you were my son-in-law. If they didn't, they know now." Raising his voice, Max snarled out, "I'd be very pissed if anything happened to you. I might be so pissed that painful things might happen, bloody, painful things."

Rubbing his chin, Booth flicked his eyes towards the guard near the door and then back, "I'm sure they got the message but I can take care of myself you know."

Leaning back, Max lowered his voice a little, "Oh, I know you can. Anyone would be a fool screwing around with you but I just want to make sure the odds are in your favor that's all. I want more grandkids and to do that, I need you in one piece with all of your parts working. You're more than a son-in-law to me, Booth. You're like a son to me, I want you to remember that. . . . Oh, you've got an account at the prison store now so if you want to indulge that sweet tooth you have you can. Tempe told me to tell you that when the account runs low to let her know. She'll be here next week. She and that gang of hers are working hard at their job, very hard."

Nodding his head, Booth frowned, "You need to make sure she rests, Max. And eat, make sure she eats."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max said, "Not a problem. I've moved in with her and the baby for the time being. I'm watching over Christine while Tempe's at work. She doesn't trust day care right now."

Grimacing, Booth responded, "That's good." Hearing the warning sound announcing visiting hour was over, Booth smiled, "Thanks for coming to see me." Taking off his headphones, Booth stood up and walked away.

Watching him go, Max slowly stood up and walked over to the guard standing at the doorway, "My son-in-law looks in good shape. He'd better stay that way."

Nervous, the guard opened the door for Max, "Not a problem, Mr. Keenan."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the Lab, Max walked over to Brennan's office and found his daughter and granddaughter sitting on the floor eating a snack.

"Okay, Honey, I'm back." Moving into the office, Max smiled and waved at his granddaughter, "Booth looks good, all things considering."

Standing, Brennan walked over to where her father stood and kissed him on the cheek. "You didn't tell him about the house did you?"

Patting her on the shoulder, Max walked over to the couch and sat down, "Nah, I don't want the guy upset. He has enough problems."

Satisfied, Brennan frowned, "I found a rental this morning that will suit our needs. I've hired a moving company to go through the house and pack up everything salvageable. They'll take it to the rental in the next few days then we can move from the hotel. Once that's done, I'm going to have repairs made to the house and then talk to Booth about selling it. We can find a new house when he's out of prison. I don't want to buy anything without him. It wouldn't be fair to him."

Sighing, Max asked, "Are you sure you want to sell it? You and Booth love that house."

Shaking her head slowly, Brennan sat on the couch next to her father and watched Christine finish her snack, open a coloring book and start to color a picture of an elephant. "That place is no longer our home. I don't want to live there. Booth will understand. A home needs happy memories and that house no longer is a happy place. We need a new place."

Nodding his head, Max watched his granddaughter, color her elephant blue with purple polka dots. "I understand Honey."

Trying to convince herself, Brennan added, "Besides, my home is wherever Booth and Christine are. All I need is Booth and Christine. They are my home."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in his cell, Booth was reading a newspaper when he felt someone standing in the doorway. Placing his paper down on his bed, Booth stood up and faced his visitor.

Clearing his throat, Trey Johnson stood in the doorway, his uniform newly starched and ironed, his belt and shoes gleaming, "Look, Agent Booth, the other day that was just an act you know?"

His face impassive, Booth didn't say anything.

Clearing his throat again, Johnson explained, "I had to act like a hard ass towards you. There are more prisoners than guards and we have to keep everyone on their toes. We can't let prisoners think we're soft or this place would be chaos, understand? You're a Fed, you know that. "

Continuing to stare at the guard, Booth corrected the guard, "I'm not a Fed anymore."

Shrugging his shoulders, Johnson replied, "Yeah, well, you still know what I'm talking about. We won't give you any trouble if you don't give us any, understand?"

Nodding his head, Booth answered impassively, "I understand."

Nodding his own head sharply, up and down, Johnson hooked a thumb in his belt, "We aren't the bad guys, Booth. We aren't good guys and we aren't bad guys. We're just doing our jobs and it's a hell of a job to do. We don't really know who the bad guys are around here. Not everyone in prison belongs here but we don't know who those people are, we just know that's true. The one thing we are absolutely certain of is that dangerous men are put in this prison and it's our job to make sure that they stay here. Like I said, don't give us grief and we won't give you any. Just follow the rules and everyone will be happy."

"Alright." Staring intently at the guard, Booth waited to see if their conversation was done.

Unhooking his thumb from his belt, Johnson turned and left.

Sitting down on his bed, Booth picked up his newspaper and continued to read. Max Boyer, stepping into the cell, remarked, "Damn son, you are one interesting fella. I can see having you around is going to make my life very interesting."

Feigning indifference, Booth said, "Glad I'm so entertaining."

Ooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the courthouse, shackled and under guard, Booth decided that their efforts to make him appear small and weak wouldn't play out like they'd intended. Shuffling in to the courtroom, Booth maintained an emotionless facade. Keeping his shoulders back and not afraid to look anyone in the eye, he noticed Brennan sitting behind the defendant's table. Smiling, he mouthed the words '_I love you.'_ Turning back to the woman standing next to the table, Booth was surprised to see Amy Morton staring at him. Sitting down, Booth leaned forward, "I thought you gave up being a defense attorney?"

Sitting down next to her client, Amy smiled, "I did, Booth. I took this case because I know when something is wrong. There is no way you did what they said you did. I need to make sure that you win. If you don't then God help the rest of us because something is really really wrong with this whole thing."

Nodding his head, Booth smiled sadly, "Thank you."

The judge entering the courtroom forced everyone to rise from their seats and wait for him to sit. After the charges had been read, Judge Carlton asked, "How do you plead?"

Watching Amy stand, Booth remained impassive as his lawyer proclaimed, "Not guilty, your honor. Not guilty by a long shot."

The prosecutor, demanding bail of $1 million dollars, caused Booth to shake his head. Frowning he turned to look at his wife, shake his head again and speak softly, "No." Watching her nod her head in understanding, Booth turned back to stare at the judge who held his life in his hands.

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Reviews would be appreciated. Thanks.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for your wonderful reviews. They are so inspirational.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooo

Sitting in the Rec area, Booth watched as two prisoners argued over an upcoming senatorial election. His face impassive, Booth observed a lot of finger poking and shoulder shoving. Deciding that it would be better to be somewhere else, he stood up and meandered across the room moving towards the staircase leading upstairs to the level above. Almost to the staircase, Booth felt someone press up behind him. Turning, he saw a shiv coming towards him. Stepping aside, Booth grabbed the man's hand, disarmed him and in the process, broke the would be murderer's wrist.

Screaming, the man fell to his knees holding his hand against his chest. Standing over the man, Booth waited to see what would happen next.

Two guards, standing on the level above, ran down the stairs and grabbed Booth's arms and moved him away from the staircase. Using his head he pointed to the ground, "The guy was going to use that on me."

Johnson, leaning over picked up the home made knife and glared at the crying man. Pointing towards two other guards who were hurrying across the room, Johnson ordered them, "Take this idiot to the dispensary."

Booth by now handcuffed with his hands behind his back, stood watching the scene impassively as it played out before him. Careful, he didn't move from where he was standing.

Johnson shook his head and pointed towards two prisoners standing near the staircase. "Calvin, did you see what happened?"

The older of the two men shrugged his shoulders, "The ass is lucky he only got a broken wrist."

Grimacing, Johnson turned to the guard standing behind Booth, "Okay, let him go. We'll report what happened but I don't expect anyone to just stand there and let someone stab him."

Nodding his head, Whitaker reached over to Booth's imprisoned wrists and unlocked the handcuffs. Placing the cuffs back on his belt, he then turned and walked back up the staircase.

Rubbing his wrists, Booth watched Johnson follow Whitaker up the stairs.

Turning, Booth stared at the prisoner who had spoken to Johnson, "He's lucky I only broke his wrist and not his damn neck."

Smirking, Calvin responded, "Damn straight."

Oooooooooooooo

Lying on his bed, Booth opened his eyes to find his cousin-in-law leaning against the bars, "So."

Sitting up, Booth leaned on his elbows, "So what?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max laughed, "You're a damn cool customer. My guys said you didn't even break a sweat."

Silent, Booth continued to stare at his visitor.

Shaking his head, Max snorted, "Okay, I get it. Rangers lead the way and all of that happy horse shit. I have some people checking into it."

"Could have been someone I helped put here." Grimacing, Booth continued, "I didn't recognize him but I've been involved in a hell of a lot of raids and shit so it doesn't mean anything."

Suddenly serious, Max shook his head, "You're wrong. This is very serious. It does mean something. The word went around to leave you alone and it was ignored. This doesn't have anything to do with you being a Fed and everything to do with you being who you are and what you know."

Moving his feet off of the bed, Booth sat silently on the mattress, his posture tense.

Rubbing his nose, Max smirked, "They may try again, if they can get someone to do the job that is."

Staring intently at Max, Booth shook his head, "Who the hell are you?"

Smiling, Max licked his bottom lip, "Well, that would be telling wouldn't it?"

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in an alcove waiting for visiting time to begin, Booth smiled when Brennan sat down across from him. Reaching up his hand and placing it on the window, he drank in her presence as she placed her ear phones on, "I love you, Bones."

Placing her hand on the window, her hand seemingly touching his, Brennan smiled, "I love you to Booth."

Leaning closer, Booth asked, "Are you taking care of yourself? You look like you've lost a little weight. You have to eat Bones and you have to rest."

Nodding her head, Brennan frowned, "Don't worry about that, Booth. I am eating. I've just been busy and I try to rest when I can." Lowering her arm, she held up a picture of their daughter. The child was in a bathing suit and waving.

Staring at the picture, Booth smiled, "She's looking more and more like you every day, Bones."

Frowning, Brennan looked her husband over, "You seem to be doing well."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth replied, "I'll be happy when I get out of here."

Lowering the picture, Brennan placed her hand back on the glass. "Booth, why won't you let me make bail for you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth sighed, "It would be safer for all of us if I stay here. I can't really protect you and Christine right now and if I'm in here then they'll leave you alone. They're only interested in me because I'm the one who has what they want. I didn't tell you where the stuff is to keep you out of it. It has to stay that way, do you understand?"

Listening to every word, Brennan understood exactly what he was telling her and it almost broke her to think he was making himself a target to protect everyone else. "I do understand Booth. I don't like it though. You have to return to me Booth. You aren't allowed to leave me. Everything else will take care of itself."

Placing his hand on the glass to cover hers, Booth frowned, "Could you ask Max to come see me?"

Nodding her head, Brennan frowned, "Yes of course. . . . We've had some interesting cases come up lately. It seems like that there are more than normal."

Biting his lower lip, Booth nodded his head. "They know you're a valuable asset to the FBI."

Folding her hand on the glass a little, Brennan remarked, "I'm not sure why they haven't fire me. It really doesn't make sense. I would have thought they would have fired me and then had the Jeffersonian fire me too."

Smirking, Booth shook his head, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. . . . Ask Max what that means. I think they remember what happened when you were left on your own when Pelant framed you for murder and you took a little leave of absence. Keeping you busy allows them to control the situation. Just do your job and they'll leave you alone."

Nodding her head, Brennan continued, "Angela has been working over time. Reconstructions can take such a long time. She really is a genius when it comes to reconstructions. I'm fairly certain we couldn't do our jobs properly if we didn't have her talents helping us. It's because of her that we've been able to handle the extra load so efficiently."

Folding his hand too, Booth smiled, "She's a really good artist. Too many people don't recognize that fact. We need to get her to do a new painting for us for the living room."

Swallowing, Brennan smiled, "Yes, I'll ask her."

Puzzled about her reaction, Booth decided not to press her about it. Suddenly remorseful, Booth shifted uneasily on his chair, "Hey, about the house, Bones, I . . . never mind." Realizing he was treading on dangerous ground he changed the subject, "Uh . . . Oh, thanks for the account at the store. I found out I can get a newspaper there every day. You know me, I like to read my paper every morning."

Forcing herself to be cheerful, Brennan smiled, "Oh yes, you do. I'm glad you can still do that."

The warning buzzer sounding, Brennan flattened her hand on the glass again, "I love you Booth."

Smiling, Booth moved his hand to his lips and then to her hand on the glass, "I love you, Bones." Standing, he waved at her and walked away.

Brennan watching him until he was out of her sight sighed and left.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Calling Max from the parking lot, Brennan told him about her visit, "He wants to see you."

Curious, Max asked, "Did he say why?"

Sighing, Brennan responded, "Booth is trying to be very careful about what he says. You know his conversations are probably being recorded and analyzed."

Clearing his throat, Max tsked, "Yeah, I know. We have to assume the same thing about our phone calls too."

Sighing again, Brennan replied, "I know. I'm on the way home. I'll see you soon."

Ooooooooooooooo

Reviews would be great. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for your continued interest in my hiatus story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Placing the headphones over his ears, Max stared at his son-in-law who was fidgeting. "_This can't be good."_

"I came as soon as I could." Smiling Max leaned forward, "So what did you need to see me about?"

Drumming his fingers on the small ledge before him, Booth asked, "Your cousin, Max Boyer, what's he in prison for?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the older Max replied, "It's complicated but let's just say for now, he robbed a bank."

Nodding his head, Booth stated, "Six feet four, dark brown eyes, dark brown hair?"

Pursing his lips, Max looked down and then back up, 'Yeah, do you remember Father Coulter?"

Alert, Booth nodded his head, "Are we talking about Father Coulter who was suffering from Alzheimer's or his friend? I get those guys mixed up sometimes."

Glancing at the guard near the door, Max smiled and returned his gaze upon his son-in-law, "You're right, I do too. His friend . . . You know he tried to help you and Tempe as best as he could. He had to do it his way because it was the safest way. Maybe what he did was a little underhanded but he was trying his best to make sure he could help you."

Rubbing his eyebrow, Booth frowned, "And Father Coulter didn't have a lot of say about what happened."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max grimaced, "Don't take the analogy too far. Max Boyer is a dangerous man. He's not someone you'd want to screw over. He has hidden agendas and I don't always know what they are. He has a box full of gears within gears. Just remember that when it comes to my cousin, what you see isn't always what you get. The man is a genius. He's almost as smart as Tempe. When he robbed that bank there was a bunch of shit going on and he was working for . . . well, he's in prison because he was trying to accomplish something important and it blew up in his face and he got caught. He could have got twenty years but he got ten instead. Because of something else going on and the people he works for pulling a bunch of strings, I think he'll be out in a year. I can't tell you anything else about it. Hell, I'm not supposed to know anything about it. Let's just say that Max Boyer is a very very dangerous man but if he has your back, then you can count on him. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

Snorting, Booth smiled, "I may not be a genius like everyone else in your family but I think I get it. . . . Russ was adopted right?"

A twinkle in his eyes, Max smirked, "Russ is mine. The poor kid has always been out of place. He's like the ugly duckling, surrounded by a bunch of damn ducks and not understanding why he's different."

The warning sound told them that visiting hour was over, Booth quickly said, "Tell Bones that I love her." Taking his headphones off, Booth stood up and walked away.

Blowing air through puffed out cheeks Max slowly stood up and left the room.

Oooooooooooooo

Sitting in Angela's office, Brennan listened as Angela gave their little group an update, "Okay, I had to buy a new PC and set it up as a stand alone. It doesn't have internet access. I disabled WiFi and it's not hooked up in any way to any computers or other electronic equipment except for a printer. Because I can't use the Angelatron or anything else I have had to restore the files from Wesley Foster's nipple flash drive without any help from any other source. I've finally managed to take a look at what we have and it looks pretty good. My first priority is to prove that those goons that attacked Booth were rogue Delta Force and not the FBI agents serving warrants like the FBI is claiming. I'm searching the records as fast as I can, but it is going to take time."

Smiling, Hodgins remarked, "You're doing great, Ange."

Nodding her head, Angela walked over to Brennan and Cam and handed them each a flash drive. "I am backing up everything I find. What I need you two to do is find a safe place to keep these. If someone somehow gets access to my PC or the flash drive, I need to know that I have access to a copy. Think outside the box and make sure you have access to your copy at a moment's notice. Assume that your home is being watched and probably monitored in some way. Don't talk to anyone about your back up copies. Not even to anyone in this room."

Staring at the flash drive, Brennan asked, "How long do you think it will take before you have enough proof to free Booth?"

Gazing at her friend sadly, Angela replied, "I don't know Honey. I still have to do my normal job and for some reason the FBI seems to be piling on more work than normal."

Interrupting his wife, Hodgins interjected, "Please, they want to keep us busy to keep us from investigating what's happening to Booth."

Nodding her head, Angela frowned, "Add to that, I can only use this computer and I don't dare do anything at home and that means that it's going to take more time than we'd like. It might be weeks, Sweetie. I'm sorry."

Shaking her head, Brennan assured her, "No, Angela, don't apologize. You're doing the best you can under a lot of constraints. I would rather have Booth at home, but, he's fine right now. He's dealt with things much worse than this and he survived. I have confidence that he'll be alright until we can get him home. He doesn't want to be bailed out of prison and I have to go along with his wishes. He has plans of his own and I can't interfere with those. It might imperil him if I do."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Entering Max's cell, Booth stood in the open door way and stared at Max, "I talked to Max Keenan."

Smiling, Max looked up from his book, "Figured you would."

Surprised, Booth asked, "You don't care that I know."

Shaking his head, the bigger man laughed, "I know who you are, Seeley Booth. I know what you did before you joined the FBI. I knew you'd find out sooner or later. It doesn't change anything."

"Are you sure about that?" Folding his arms across his chest, Booth waited.

Placing his book down, Max smiled, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Curious, Booth asked, "When do I get the whole story? When are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Rubbing his chin, Max considered how to answer the questions, "Not right now that's for sure. Tell you what, you'll be debriefed as soon as you walk out of here. That's the best I can do."

"Why are you helping me?" Licking his bottom lip, Booth stared at the man's amused face.

"That my dear Seeley will be told to you as part of your debriefing when you finally get out of here." Trying to ease the tension he was feeling, Max rolled his shoulders, "I know it all sounds like cloak and dagger bullshit but it can't be helped. There are a lot of people trying to make sure you stay alive and well while you're in here. We all have our reasons and some of them even line up with yours. Now, I will tell you that I volunteered to look after you. When we heard you were going to be in the general population there was a lot of shit stirred up. We knew that meant that they want you dead and that was going to be how they did it. I want to try to keep that from happening. Why I'm interested well I can't tell you why but I will some day. Let's just say that blood is thicker than water."

Irritated, Booth shook his head, "What the hell does that mean?"

Standing, Max rubbed the end of his nose, "It means that there are different types of family in this world and sometimes . . . . well, never mind. I can't really say can I?"

Frustrated, Booth turned and left Max's cell. Walking over to his cell, Booth entered the small room and stared at his mattress. Furious and feeling out of control Booth rammed his fists into his mattress a few times.

Following him, Max stood in the doorway watching Booth breathe hard while he stood next to the bed with his eyes closed, "Remember your training, Sergeant Major. Never let your enemy see any signs of weakness."

Sneering at Max, Booth turned to face him, "You think this place worries me? You think I'm afraid?"

Solemnly, Max shook his head, "Nope, in fact I think you're a very dangerous man in a very dangerous place and that worries me. Right now, you aren't guilty of anything. I need you to control that temper of yours because if you don't you may end up staying here for real."

His face instantly impassive, Booth replied, "Don't worry about me, I know what I need to do."

A little relieved, Max placed a hand on one of the bars and looked out into the corridor. Turning back to Booth, he frowned, "Be the soldier you are, Seeley. You're Special Forces and that's your role right now. You're in enemy territory in enemy hands. Remember that."

Nodding his head, Booth sat down on his mattress, "Got it and just so you know, I consider you part of the problem not part of the solution."

Smiling, Max nodded his head, "Good, that's good. Don't trust anyone. Everyone around you has a hidden agenda. Just watch your temper, be a good little soldier and when help finally arrives you'll be able to walk out of here instead of being carried out. . . . Now that being said, I've been told that the asshole that tried to kill you had a medical complication and somehow he died."

A little shocked, Booth shook his head, "All I did was break his wrist."

Nodding his head, Max informed Booth, "Apparently he was allergic to aspirin and the dummy took some. I can't imagine why he'd do that but you know prisons are full of stupid people."

Oooooooooooooo

Reviews would be great.

A/N: I hope I haven't lost you. There are a lot of mysterious things going on. You will find out what is going on if you haven't already guessed. Father Coulter was in "Judas on a Pole" and when we first met Max.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Observing Booth sit down in front of her, Brennan was surprised that Booth hadn't shaved in awhile. Frowning, she remarked after he put on his headphones, "You haven't shaved, lately."

Placing his hand on the window, Booth watched as his wife placed her hand over his, "I don't have a reason to shave, Bones. Besides I think it makes me look more bad ass."

Amused, Brennan smiled, "Well, when you get home I hope you shave. I'd rather not get whisker burns while we're having sex."

Laughing, Booth leaned forward and drank in the sight of his partner and wife, "Yes, ma'am, we definitely wouldn't want to risk that happening."

Happy to see her man laughing, Brennan asked, "Are you doing alright?"

Nodding his head, Booth winked at her, "Sure. I'm fine. I'm bored but it's something I can live with for now. All I do is work out, eat, read and sleep."

Lowering her hand, Brennan picked up a picture of Christine in a pale yellow sun dress and sandals and held it up for Booth to see. Staring at the picture, Booth sighed, "I really miss talking to her."

Sad for her husband, Brennan offered, "I could have her call you, Booth."

Shaking his head, Booth frowned, "No, Bones. I don't want her to know I'm in jail."

Irritated, Brennan responded, "She doesn't have to know you're in jail Booth. She thinks you're working too far away to come home at night. She's almost four so I told her that you missed her but couldn't call her because you're busy. We'll just say you found some time to talk to her. She won't know we're lying to her."

A slight smile gracing his lips, Booth nodded his head, "Alright, sounds good. I'd like to talk to her and make sure she's okay."

Lowering the picture, Brennan frowned, "She's alright, Booth. I promise. Dad watches over her when I can't. He's still living with me and I'm still keeping Christine out of Day Care. We're being very careful to make sure that she's safe."

Watching as she placed her hand back on the glass next to his hand, Booth frowned, "Bones, make sure you protect yourself too. I was the object lesson but whoever is calling the shots in this mess could decide to come after you next. I don't want anything to happen to you. You have to promise me that you're being careful."

Her hand moving up and down the glass a little, she frowned, "Booth, I'm being careful. Stop worrying."

Smiling sadly, Booth nodded his head, "I love you, Bones. I want you to know that I love you and I always will."

Feeling a tightness in her chest, Brennan cleared her throat, "I love you too, Booth." Clearing her throat again, Brennan continued, "We're still being inundated by the FBI. Most of the cases are ridiculous. Their own labs could take care of most of them. I'm not going into the field. I'm letting Clark handle that aspect of the crimes we are being given. I'm staying at the Lab to try to take care of the cases as they come in."

Relieved, Booth smiled, "Sounds good, Bones. At least you aren't bored."

Shaking her head, Brennan informed him, "Angela is really working hard on the new reconstructions. She's managed to keep up and has correctly identified all of the new victims. She's even had time to work a little on her other art projects."

Sure he understood what she was trying to tell him, Booth changed the topic, "Bones, I was wondering what you're doing about the house. Have you hired someone to clean up the mess and fix the stuff that happened to it?"

Leaning towards him, Brennan replied, "Yes, I'm having it repaired right now."

Puzzled at her reticence, Booth let it slide. "I'm getting your letters Bones. If you don't have time then don't do that. You've got enough on your plate as it is."

Shaking her head, "I have time, Booth. I. . . "

The warning sound chiming in to let them know visiting time was up, Brennan watched as Booth placed his palm against his lips, kissed it and placed it against her glass covered hand. Swallowing, Brennan pressed her hand against the glass, "I love you Booth."

Placing his hands on the headphones, Booth smiled, "I love you Bones." Removing the head phones, he stood, waved at her and walked away.

ooooooooooooooooo

Almost to his cell, Booth noticed a man rush out of the cell next to his and run towards him with a knife. Quickly disarming the man, Booth punched his assailant in the groin and then the nose. Hearing the man howl as blood spattered from his broken nose, Booth grabbed the man's collar and raised him up from where he'd fallen, "Who the hell sent you?"

Guards charging down the hallway, pulled Booth away and pushed him against the wall. Cuffing him, one of the guards punched him in the back, "You were told to stay out of trouble."

Trey Johnson, leaning over and picking up the knife near the groaning attacker, held it up for the guard Tom Carlton to see. "I'd say that Derek here got exactly what he deserved."

Sighing heavily, Carlton shook his head, "This is the second incident this week with this character. Maybe he needs to be isolated from the rest of the prisoners."

Shaking his head, Trey responded, "Not our call. Go ahead and uncuff him. I'll talk to the higher ups. Maybe they'll listen to reason now. I keep telling them that a cop needs to be isolated but so far I've been told to mind my own business."

Releasing Booth, Carlton placed his cuffs on his belt and walked over to where Derek was rocking on the floor, moaning. Kicking him, Carlton ordered the assailant, "Get up you idiot."

Derek, staggering up, soon was handcuffed and marched down the hallway and out of Booth's sight. Max, striding rapidly down the hallway, reached Booth and placed his hand on the agent's shoulder, "You alright?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth walked past Max and entered his cell. Once in the small room, Booth rubbed the small of his back, hissing at the sore spot where the guard had hit him.

oooooooooooooooooo

Eating dinner, Booth remained alert and aware of the movements of the men around him. Sitting down next to Max, a man Booth didn't recognize walked up behind Max, leaned over and whispered in his neighbor's ear. The larger man, pleased at the news, nodded his head and then chuckled.

The stranger, glancing at Booth, smiled and left the table. Max finishing up the last of his meatloaf, moved the tray towards the middle of the table and rested his elbows on the table's edge. Staring over the heads of the two men sitting at the table with them, Max smiled, "Well, Booth it seems that the man that attacked you, Derek, met with an unfortunate end."

Frowning, Booth turned his gaze towards Max, "Oh yeah?"

Nodding his head, Max raised his voice, "It would seem that Derek, in a fit of remorse for trying to kill you, hung himself."

The two men sitting across from Max blanched and looked at each other. Booth, finishing his meal, stood up, picked up his tray and walked away.

oooooooooooooo

A few weeks later, triumphant and filled with joy, Angela rushed into Brennan's office, "I did it. I found what we needed. Handing two flash drives to Brennan, Angela explained, "You can give these to Caroline and Deputy Director Stark. I'm preparing to send this info out to some media people I know. They should have it in about thirty minutes. Even if Stark wants to bury this he won't be able to."

Standing, Brennan took the drives from Angela and then hugged her, "Thank you, Angela."

Hugging Brennan, Angela wept tears of joy, "We'll get Studly out of there really soon, Sweetie. Then we can start looking for that damn FBI mole. I don't know about you but I want to see some blood from whomever it is. If Booth can find out who it is, I'll help him beat the hell of the little traitor. I've had enough with secret organizations around here. It's time we cleaned house and that mole is going to pay for all the shit we've been put through. Call me vindictive if you want to but I don't care. Hodgins was right all along. They really are out to get us."

oooooooooooooo

Reviews would be great. Thank you.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for your reviews. I appreciate them. It's the only way I can tell if anyone is interested in this story.

This is a reminder that this story is rated T for a reason.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooo

Standing in the courtroom, Booth faced the judge proudly and with confidence.

The judge, a tinge of anger in his voice addressed Booth and the court, "How this travesty got this far is beyond me but I'm pretty angry at the show of incompetence by the FBI. An agent of the FBI, head of Major Crimes no less was attacked in his home by three rogue soldiers of the United States Army and almost killed and what does the FBI do about that? They arrest the agent for the murder of FBI Agents. Really? Is the FBI so big that it doesn't know who their agents are or aren't? Is the FBI so incompetent that they couldn't be bothered to find out what really happened but would rather arrest one of their own for murder instead of finding out what the truth of the situation was? Is the FBI being led by such incompetent people that an outside organization had to bring this injustice to light so that a man, a patriotic man who has served his country faithfully in the Army as well as in the FBI, could be spared a trial for a murder he didn't commit?"

Irritated, the prosecutor stood up, "Judge Marrow, I . . ."

Furious, the judge pointed his finger at the attorney and barked, "Sit down and shut up."

Sinking down promptly, the prosecutor shook his head and sighed, glancing at the Deputy Director of the FBI sitting behind him.

Shaking his head, Judge Marrow glared at prosecutor for a minute to make sure the prosecutor knew just how angry he was and then turned his gaze upon Booth."Clearly your rights have been violated, Agent Booth. The proof presented to this court by the Jeffersonian clearly shows that you were merely protecting yourself and were within your rights to do so. That the proof had to come from an outside agency and not the FBI is a black eye on them. The charges have been dismissed by the prosecutor and this court and you're a free man, Agent Booth."

Smiling, Booth nodded his head, "Thank you."

Glaring at the Prosecutor again and then the Deputy Director, Judge Marrow spoke menacingly, "A word of warning to you and the Director of the FBI, if I ever have a case like this one brought to me again, you will all rue the day you were born and you will all pay dearly."

Banging his gavel, the Judge stood up and stalked out of the courtroom.

Booth turning towards the seats behind him, smiled at his wife. Brennan, standing, handed her purse to Angela and rushed around the barrier to where Booth was standing. Throwing her arms around him, she found herself enveloped in his arms. The kisses he rained on her lips were returned with just as much vigor.

A few photographers, deciding to take a few photos, hung around long enough to take pictures of the reunion between the partners and then exited the room. Hurrying, they wanted to be on the court steps when the couple left so that they could be there when the waiting press corp started to barrage them.

Watching the last of the gawkers and reporters leave the room, Caroline shook her head, "This isn't over."

Shrugging, Sweets watched as Booth and Brennan pressed their foreheads together and stared into each other's eyes. "But at least Booth isn't in jail and he can get his job back."

Snorting, Caroline sat down and rummaged in her purse for a tissue, "If he wants it and I wouldn't blame him if he said no."

Turning, Hodgins interrupted their conversation, "Oh, he'll want his job back alright."

Curious, Sweets asked, "What makes you think so? If it was me I'd tell them all to go to Hell."

Smirking, Hodgins replied, "Because, Booth is a patriot and he doesn't like the idea that evil men are controlling our country or trying to through powerful people. He's going to want to clean house and he's going to do it his way. I plan to help him. I've been trying to tell everyone for years that there was something wrong and that evil had it's hands in our apple pie but everyone considered me a crackpot. Who's the crackpot now?"

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Evading the press by leaving through the back entrance of the courthouse, Booth and Brennan made their way to Brennan's car that was parked in a parking garage two blocks away, "Good thinking, Bones."

His hand holding her hand in a tight grip as they walked, Brennan frowned, "I knew that the press would try to impede our departure."

His grip loosening a little, Booth glanced back at the courthouse and frowned, "You know the press is going to keep after me until they get an interview."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan replied, "We'll worry about that later. . . . Booth, you need to know that we aren't living at the house anymore. I rented a place while our house is being repaired."

Nodding his head, Booth entered the parking garage with his wife and sighed, "That doesn't surprise me at all."

Her car straight ahead, the partners moved up the ramp and glanced around to make sure they were alone, "I've had workers fixing the damage for the last few weeks. I think once the house is repaired we should sell it and find a new house."

Stopping abruptly, Booth pulled Brennan to a stop, "What . . . wait why? That's our house."

Stepping closer to her husband, Brennan sadly replied, "Our home was invaded, Booth. First by Pelant and now by assassins sent by someone who wanted you dead. They tried to kill you and they almost succeeded. It has too many bad memories and I think we need to find a new house and start over."

Pulling her into his arms, Booth wrapped his arms around her, "Look, Bones. Don't you remember when we first got the house you said that we deserved that house because we vanquished our enemies and it was our Mighty Hut. That house is proof to the world that we're powerful warriors and that our enemies are toast when they fuck with us. We got rid of Pelant and we got rid of those bastards that tried to kill us. That house is our prize. It's our Mighty Hut. I don't want to sell it. I want to live there and tell the world to go to hell. No one can drive us from our home and that's what it would look like it if we sold it. That house belongs to us and our enemies shouldn't be able to take that away from us."

Stunned at Booth's words, Brennan stared into his flashing brown eyes, "Do you really think you could live in a house where you almost died?"

Nodding his head, Booth smiled, "You're damn right I could. That is our Mighty Hut. They tried to destroy us and we destroyed them instead. We are some really bad mother fuckers and they know it now."

Laughing, Brennan hugged her man tightly, "You are a very strange man, Seeley Booth."

Closing his eyes, Booth leaned his head against her shoulder, "I know, but you love me anyways."

Afraid to release him, she felt a tear fall down her cheek, "I do, Booth. I love you very very much."

Oooooooooooooooo

Entering the house that Brennan had rented, Booth spied his daughter sitting on the couch, holding a doll in her hand and watching television. Max hearing his daughter and son-in-law enter the house, poked his occupied granddaughter in the shoulder, "Honey, look over by the front door."

Looking up, Christine saw her father standing near the front door, looking at her. Dropping her doll, the child slid off of the couch and ran towards her father, "Daddyyyy." Crying, the little girl threw her body at her father.

Booth, a lump in this throat, reached down and caught his daughter, pulling her up into his arms. Kissing her cheeks, Booth desperately tried to control himself to keep from crying, "Baby, I'm home. I missed you."

Unable to stop crying the child clung to her father, desperately afraid to let him go. Glancing at her mother, Christine tearfully said, "I'm so happy."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Reviews would be wonderful. Thank you.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you for your continued support of my story. I really appreciate the reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Waking, Booth rubbed his eyes and noticed that the room was no longer dark. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, he was shocked to see the time being displayed, "One twenty? Shit."

Stiff, he moved to the side of the bed and sat on the edge. Rolling his shoulders and then flexing his feet, he held his breath and stood. The pain lancing through his feet, he hobbled into the bathroom and stared at the vanity and saw fresh towels, a change of underwear, a new razor, his shaving gel and hair gel. Smiling he placed his left hand on the towels and felt the soft material between his fingers, "_I'm never taking fluffy towels for granted ever again_."

Stepping into the shower, Booth ran the water as hot as he could stand it letting it run over his shoulders and down his body. Washing his hair, Booth loved the feel of the hot water continuously cascading from his head and shoulders. Enjoying the luxury, he grabbed his bar of soap and smelled the scent as he worked up a lather in his hands. After he washed, he let the water rinse the suds off, satisfied that he was as clean as he was going to get he took a deep breath, the smells reminding him he was now home with his family.

Parting the shower curtain, Booth was surprised to find Brennan standing in the doorway, staring at him. Wiggling his eyebrows, Booth stepped out of the tub and onto the bathmat. Catching the towel Brennan tossed at him, he slowly dried off, never taking his eyes off of his wife.

Mesmerized, Brennan watched as Booth slowly dried off and then wrapped the towel around his lean hips. Moving across the room, she slipped her arms around his chest and leaned against him, "I missed you so much."

Placing his arms around her, Booth murmured, "God and I missed you too. I missed not being able to touch you or to be able to just talk to you whenever I damn well wanted to. Three months, Bones. They stole three months from us and I can't forgive them for that."

Holding him as tightly as she could, Brennan kissed his chest and said, "I almost couldn't close my eyes last night. I was so afraid that I was going to wake up and find out that I'd been dreaming and you were still being kept away from me. I can't forgive them either, Booth. I will not let whoever did this get away with what they did to you . . . to us."

Rubbing his hand slowly up and down her back, Booth sighed, "We'll talk about this later, right now, I don't want to think about it. I just want to make love to you and forget myself in you. You told me that I'm your home and Bones . . . I want you to know that you're my home too. God I love you so much."

Moving a little away from him, Brennan informed him, "Dad took Christine to the zoo this afternoon. They'll be back in a couple of hours."

Staring at her, Booth smiled, "Oh yeah?"

Stepping away, Brennan grabbed Booth's towel and yanked it from his hips, "Yes." Turning, she started to run towards the door when she felt strong hands grab her and haul her back. Pressing her against his chest, Booth breathed into her ear, "Bones, you and I are about to break the laws of physics."

Oooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the backyard, Booth watched Christine as she played under the fountain of water coming from the sprinkler. Watching her run back and forth, squealing every time the water hit her, Booth laughed.

Max, keeping a careful eye on his granddaughter, smiled, "God, she's so like her mother. Tempe loved to play in the water when she was little."

Leaning back against the chair, Booth confessed, "I was kind of afraid that she might be . . . I don't know, standoffish when I came home. I mean, as far as she's concerned I just disappeared for three months. That's a lot of time for a three year old."

Shaking his head, Max protested, "That little girl adores you. No way she wouldn't be happy to see her Daddy."

Nodding his head, Booth suddenly felt his eyes water. Turning his head, Booth stood up, "I'm going to go get a beer."

Aware that Booth was a little emotional, Max advised him, "Hey, Tempe made brownies. I saw them when I passed through the kitchen."

Clearing his throat, Booth mumbled, "Yeah, I'll check it out."

Keeping his eyes on Christine, Max waved at her as she turned to watch her father open the back door and walk into the house, "Don't worry, Baby, you're Daddy isn't going anywhere."

Walking over to her grandfather, Christine stopped next to his knees and placed her wet hands on them, "I love my Daddy."

Placing his hand on top of her hands, Max assured her, "You're Daddy loves you too, Sweetheart. He just went in the house to get a drink and maybe visit your mother."

Staring at the back door for a minute, she turned and then ran back out to the sprinkler, "Look, Grandpa Max."

Waving, Max laughed, "I'm looking Sweetheart."

Oooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the kitchen, Booth slowly chewed the last bite of the brownie he'd found on the counter when he heard a knock on the front door. Taking a sip of beer, he placed the bottle down on the counter and left the kitchen. Entering the living room, he flipped the curtain back from the window next to the door and peered at the man standing on the steps.

Startled, he opened the door and asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Smiling, the man he knew as Max Boyer responded, "I told you you'd be debriefed when you got out. Well, here I am."

"Before I let you into my house, you tell me who the hell you really are." Crossing his arms, Booth glared at the man, daring him to move closer.

Shrugging his shoulders, the man clasped his hands together, "Well, if you insist. My name is Miles Reed."

Staring at the man suspiciously, Booth finally stood back, "Come in or not, I don't give a fuck one way or the other."

Cocking his head to the side, Miles refrained from saying anything and stepped into the living room. Booth closing the door, turned to stare at his unwanted guest, "Where's Max Boyer?"

Glancing around the quiet room, Max replied, "In prison of course. He's going to be released in a few weeks. He's a good guy."

Brennan, hearing voices in the living room, logged out of her laptop, closed it and left the guest bedroom she also used as a home office. Spying Booth talking to a stranger, Brennan entered the living room, "Booth?"

Turning to glance at her, Booth frowned, "Bones this is Miles Reed. He's about to explain to me what the hell he was doing in prison and why he's out."

Giving Brennan a charming smile, Miles greeted her, "Dr. Brennan, it's nice to meet you."

Moving closer to her husband, Brennan crossed her arms, "I think you need to explain who you are and who you work for."

Bowing slightly, Miles answered, "I work for the CIA. You and your husband stirred up quite a hornet's nest when you started investigating the serial killer you called the Ghost Killer. You dug deeper than anyone counted on and panicked quite a few people. Personally, the Agency was glad it happened. We've been trying to figure out for years what the hell was going on and why powerful people were starting to act out of character but we never could quite put our finger on it. We knew that someone had to be using these people in sinister ways but we just couldn't pin it down. When you started to investigate the Ghost Killer we noticed some players that we considered . . . well let's just call them suspicious for now, making stranger moves than normal. Judges blatantly impeding a murder investigation. A congressman suddenly interested in you when he'd never shown any interest before. You were getting attention that seemed sinister to us, I mean Head of Major Crimes at the FBI suddenly being offered a promotion out of the country when he was clearly better used at home started to worry us. A lot of chatter about you and Dr. Brennan and that sick shit Congressman Hadley pulled on you at the hearing. That hearing alone alarmed a hell of a lot of people at the Pentagon, the NSA and the CIA. That congressman committed treason using sealed records of covert missions that only a few should have known about let alone had access to. And the scariest thing of all, three Delta Force soldiers suddenly disappeared and no one knew where they were until they were killed by you in your house. Believe me, bells were peeling and a lot of agencies finally woke up and realized what the Agency and the NSA had suspected for awhile, that Mom and apple pie were under attack and they didn't have a clue by whom or why."

Stoic, Booth pointed out, "The CIA can't legally operate in the United States."

Shrugging his shoulders, Miles commented, "My country is under attack from within, Booth. Do you really think we give a fuck about the rules right now?"

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Reviews would be great. Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, I hope I don't lose anyone in this chapter. It's about to get complicated.

A/N: it was pointed out that there is more cursing on the part of Booth in this story. I wrote him like this because he is in soldier mode. Right now he is angry and outraged that he and Brennan were attacked and that FBI, which he loves, betrayed him.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooo

Sitting on the couch, Booth pointed at the couch across the room, "Sit down. You have a lot of explaining to do."

Sitting on the couch across from Booth, Miles looked at Brennan and smiled, "You're husband is a very interesting person, Dr. Brennan. Anyone that can scare the people that he has interests me and a lot of other people at the Agency and over at NSA."

Sitting down next to Booth, Brennan leaned back on the couch and glared at the CIA agent, "If your people knew that those were Delta Force soldiers that attacked Booth in our home then why didn't you come forward and say something instead of waiting for me and my people to find the evidence to get him out of prison and clear his name?"

"Because, like Booth said, we can't legally operate in this country and if we had come forward with what we knew then we would have come under scrutiny. Right now we're trying to avoid that." Seeing the anger flash across Brennan's face, Reed held up his hand, "Look, we didn't know they were going to go after Booth like that." Moving his gaze towards Booth, he explained, "An analyst I work with thought for sure they would use your past to try to control you. Let's face it some of the things you did in the Army were classified the minute you did them and it wouldn't be good for you or our country for any of it to be made public knowledge."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth stated, "I don't want any of the things I did to get out; but, if they publish what I did, I'll never acknowledge or deny any of it. I can't. I can tell you that I won't jump through hoops for whoever is behind this to keep it from being made public knowledge. No one is going to blackmail me in to betraying my country."

"And that's why they went after you." Crossing his legs, Reed grimaced, "That hearing was their opening salvo and they thought you'd hoist up a white flag after that. Instead, you went after the congressman and you scared the shit out of whoever is controlling the strings. . . You pushed the wrong buttons and they went after you. We didn't know what you'd done until it was too late to be of use. When those Delta Forces guys came after you and you killed them and you got hurt in the process it created a bit of a panic among my people and the people over at NSA."

Leaning forward, Reed expounded, "From our point of view, we finally had someone on the inside of the FBI that we thought we would be able to trust and whom we thought may be of help with our investigation into who ever was pulling all of these strings and we planned on approaching you and letting you know you had some allies but it got away from us pretty quickly. The only thing we could do after you were attacked and then arrested for murder was to get someone near you as quickly as possible to protect you. We don't know who most of the bad guys are and we don't know who we can trust so the CIA and the NSA decided to try to watch over you while your wife looked for a way to spring you. Knowing her past we were confident that she'd do it too. We did plan to help on that if it started taking too long though. Believe me, we wanted you out of that prison as soon as possible."

Rubbing his jaw, Reed stared at Booth and grumbled, "Do you know what we had to do to cover you? As soon as we found out where they were going to stash you, the NSA had a man brought in to watch over you at the dispensary. He made sure you didn't expire from your injuries. While you were recovering the NSA and my people had to move pretty quickly to get someone into the general population of the prison before you arrived and we didn't have a hell of a lot of time to do it in. One of our guys, Max Boyer is in prison right now and we thought we'd have him transferred to the prison you were being held at but he got in to a fight with someone the day before we were going to have him transferred and he broke his arm. We wanted to use Max because of his connections to Max Keenan. We decided to fudge a bunch of records and I went into the prison where you were as Max Boyer instead. It was fast and I was worried about the paper work but no one seemed to question it when I got there. As soon I could, I let everyone know that I was connected to Max Keenan and that neither he nor I would take it well if anything bad happened to you. Of course, obviously a couple of idiots chose the wrong side and paid for it but all in all, it worked out pretty well."

Curious, Booth asked, "Did you kill those men?"

Placing his hand over his heart, Reed feigned shock, "Me? I'm not a murderer. Let's just say I wasn't the only one moved in to the prison to watch your back. I was just the front man that's all."

Staring in disbelief at the CIA Agent, Booth shook his head, "How'd you get out so quickly?"

Chuckling, Reed explained, "Oh that was easy enough, I was transferred back to the prison Max Boyer was supposed to be at. I just didn't show up because Max was already there. Max should be out in a few weeks. He should never have been convicted in the first place."

Glancing at Brennan, Booth asked, "Is Max Boyer really Max Keenan's second cousin?"

Nodding his head, Reed answered, "Yep, he really is."

"And he works for the CIA?" Feeling Brennan resting her hand on his knee, Booth clasped it in his hand.

"Yeah, I can't officially confirm or deny that but since he had a role in this mess then a guess is as good as a nod." Uncrossing his leg, Reed lowered his foot to the floor and asked, "Would you mind if I had something to drink?"

Standing, Brennan chided him, "If you wish to speak privately with Booth then you should say so. It isn't necessary though since I am his partner and I can be trusted."

Embarrassed, Reed responded, "Sorry. May I speak with Booth privately? He'll probably tell you everything but that's up to him, I have my orders."

Irritated, Brennan left the room and entered the kitchen.

Watching her leave, Max finally turned back to a visibly angered Booth, "Okay don't get all bent out of shape. Just listen." Lowering his voice, Max continued, "About thirty five years ago, the CIA picked up some chatter overseas about someone back home turning himself into a king maker. We started calling him the 'Puppet Master'. We got the name from Robert Heinlein's book, "The Puppet Masters".

Seeing the glare coming from Booth, Reed shrugged his shoulders, "This guy was collecting blackmail on very important people and using them to manipulate other people to do things he wanted done. We tried to look into it quietly but we have no jurisdiction in this country. The CIA let the NSA know about it and both agencies tried to keep an eye on the situation. The NSA finally got a lead and it looked like the FBI had been compromised. An agent named Robert Kirby was moving rapidly up through the ranks and he was doing it with help from outside the agency. He and a couple of other agents were dirty and they were going after people that the Puppet Master wanted silenced. We tried to keep an eye on the three of them and then it kind of hit the fan when an Agent named Gus Harper was murdered and the man convicted of doing it was Marvin Beckett. We heard rumors that Kirby had killed Harper but we couldn't prove it. It was all hear-say. We couldn't approach anyone in the FBI because we weren't sure if anyone else besides the three were involved. Hell, we weren't even sure that the Director of the FBI could be trusted."

Reed tried to relax but failed, "Time went by and then out of the blue you and Dr. Brennan got involved in the murder of one of the agents we were interested in, Garrett Delaney. He was retired but he was still owned by the Puppet Master. Chips started falling and we couldn't keep up. The next thing we know Marvin Beckett is out of prison and it's all because Max Keenan became concerned for the safety of his kids. We had no idea that Max Kennan had proof that would have compromised Kirby and Delaney. Kirby and a few of his comrades were trying to flush him out and Max took exception to it. You and your partner were uncovering stuff that the Puppet Master wanted kept secret. They went after you through Kirby but that didn't work out too well for them. No one really realized that those scientists that you work with are loyal as hell to you and because of that somehow you came up with proof about Harper's murder and Beckett's innocence. Later we found out that Max Keenan had more evidence in his possession and that he'd handed it over to you which helped you get your job back. We weren't surprised when Kirby came up dead. Max wanted the Puppet Master to know that his kids and you were off limits and up until now you all were. I think you would have remained safe but you started uncovering stuff you shouldn't have with the Ghost Killer case and that made you a target again."

Angry, Booth stood up and walked over to the kitchen. Entering the room, Booth found Brennan leaning against the counter with her arms folded. Moving over to where she was standing, Booth placed his arms around her feeling her arms relax around his chest. "He just told me that all of this mess can be tied back to Deputy Director Kirby and how Max got involved. I don't know why he wanted to tell me without you but I want you to come back in to the room. I don't want you kept out of the loop." Kissing her, he smiled, "You're my partner, Bones."

Brennan returned his kiss, "Alright. What did he mean that two idiots chose the wrong side and payed for it with their lives. Were you attacked in prison?"

Releasing her from his embrace, Booth debated what to say, "Yeah but I took care of it. I didn't kill them. They attacked me and I stopped it. Someone killed them for their trouble."

Placing her hand on the side of his face, Brennan warned him, "We will talk about this later."

Taking her hand in his, they walked back into the living room, "Miles, I need Bones in on this."

"Fine." Shrugging his shoulders, Reed waited for Booth and Brennan to sit down. "Right, I told Booth about Kirby and how he and the Puppet Master became interested in you two when Kirby decided to flush your father out of hiding using you and your brother. . . . The Puppet Master is what we call the person who is behind this whole mess you're involved in. Booth can explain later . . . Anyway, this mess you've stumbled in on started about thirty five years ago and up until now, we really didn't know how big this whole thing was. We knew a few judges were compromised, some agents in the FBI and recently, a few agents at Homeland Security. A few years ago, we thought we had found out who the Puppet Master was and we started to keep an eye on Giles McNamara. McNamara's financial dealings were probed and the NSA tried to get to him that way but the prosecutor was a damn wimp and fined the bastard instead of giving him jail time. He died and his kids took over his companies so we thought that was the end of it. Then you came along and uncovered proof that Giles McNamara was really just a puppet and now we're back to square one. We have no idea who is pulling the strings and now that you're out of jail we have a feeling whoever it is, is going to want to keep a low profile at least for a while. He can't send anyone else after you because it might expose who he is. He can't set you up for anything because its been tried and it failed. That won't work a second time. Everyone knows that you were targeted by corrupt officials and set up for murder. Three judges have impeachment proceedings coming up and Congressman Hadley is in grave trouble for using classified documents at a public hearing and may end up in jail. All the Puppet Master can do is lay low and hope no one gives him away."

Still holding Booth's hand, Brennan asked, "Do you know who the FBI mole is?"

Nodding his head, Reed sighed heavily, "We don't have any proof but we're fairly certain of the identity and I'm pretty sure you're going to hate me when I tell you who we think it is."

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Yes, I did. Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	10. Chapter 10

This is probably the most complicated story I've ever written. If you have any questions feel free to ask me. Just keep in mind that things may not be what they seem or at least not entirely. A theory is not proof.

I don't own Bones.

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Standing, Miles Reed walked around the couch and placed his hands on top of it. Leaning forward, he stared intently at Booth, "After Dr. Brennan's mother's body turned up at the Jeffersonian, you did a great job of tracking down who killed her. Unfortunately, opening that case, going after McVikar created a fire storm among the agents that had been involved in the death of Gus Harper. They knew that if you found Max Keenan, he might turn over the evidence that he had about who actually killed the FBI agent and they couldn't let that happen. That's why Garrett Delaney started stalking Russ Brennan. They were setting him up to be murdered to draw Max Keenan out so they could finally get rid of the old bank robber."

Standing straight, Reed pursed his lips, "In the mean time they needed to keep track of you and Dr. Brennan and for that they needed someone that actually worked with you. They needed someone who would know what cases you were working on and the details of those cases. Now we didn't know that at the time of course. We didn't catch on to their interest in you and Dr. Brennan until after Garrett Delaney was killed. We had no idea that Max Keenan was a threat to those people and ultimately to the Puppet Master so no one really paid that much attention when Christine Brennan's body was found and then later when Vince McVikar was arrested and charged with her murder. It was afterward, when Garrett Delaney was killed and then Robert Kirby was killed that we pulled it all together and we knew that the Puppet Master wouldn't have had a choice. From the moment Christine Brennan's body was found, he was going to have to know what you two were up to and for that he needed an informer."

Walking back around the couch and sitting down, he continued, "When we started putting all of this together, the NSA looked at everyone that worked closely with Dr. Brennan and you, Booth. They paid special attention to other FBI agents but then they decided to expand their search. They looked through everyone's background including family histories and financials and they finally hit on the stoolie. Or at least NSA is pretty sure they know who she is. They let us know at the Agency as soon as they figured it out."

Catching the pronoun, Brennan asked, "She?"

Exhaling slowly, Reed finally came to the crux of the issue, "Dr. Camille Saroyan."

Furious, Booth shot to his feet, "No . . . Not Cam. No way this is Cam."

Aware just how volatile Booth was, aware that he could be a dangerous man if cornered, the CIA Agent remained still, not moving. "Hear me out, Agent Booth. Just sit down, calm down and let me talk."

Turning towards Brennan, Booth shook his head vehemently, "No way, Bones. I've known her since college. I . . . we lived together for a while. I know her, she wouldn't do this, not Cam."

Speaking quietly but steadily, Reed interrupted Booth, "Hear me out, Booth, please. Her name wasn't just picked out of a hat. The NSA has reasons to suspect her. They're not the only one that thinks she's the mole, my people do too."

Turning towards Reed, Booth placed his hands on his hips and snarled, "There is no way she leaked information to Congressman Hadley about my missions overseas. She doesn't have access to my sealed records. Those are at the CIA and the Pentagon. Not even the FBI has access to those files. It seems to me that you have a mole in your own agency. That wasn't Cam."

Nodding his head, Reed answered, "You're right the leak of those sealed files weren't from Cam but they didn't come from the CIA either. They came from someone at the Pentagon. We know who leaked that information. Ever since the hearing, the NSA and the Pentagon have been looking for whoever leaked that file and they found that person three weeks ago. The CIA and the NSA has been pooling our resources, keeping the number of people involved in our search for the Puppet Master to a small group of people. Technically the Agency can't work within our National borders so we've been careful to give everything that we find to the NSA. They were the ones who got me into the prison to help protect you. They were the ones that contacted Max Keenan to get him to help us help you although no one really had to talk him into it. He was already in the middle of spreading the word about you to all of his contacts and making pretty dire threats I might add. When his cousin Max Boyer was brought in to it, Max Keenan was more than willing to cooperate with us."

Staring at Reed, Booth studied the man's body language and realized that he was reading sincerity and honesty. Exhaling sharply, Booth sat down and pulled Brennan's hand into his. Holding her hand tightly, he said, "Tell me why you think it's Cam."

Careful to keep his face neutral, Reed began, "As Chief Coroner for the city of New York she was at the top of her field. Moving to Washington D.C. to become the forensic pathologist at the Jeffersonian seems prestigious but let's face it, she did more work and had more influence as coroner of the City of New York. At the Jeffersonian she is technically the head of the Lab but really that's on paper but not in reality. Dr. Brennan is really the head of the department. Dr. Saroyan got a rather unfriendly reminder of that when Dr. Brennan accepted the job in Indonesia. As soon as she left, the Jeffersonian pulled the plug and the Lab was shut down. Dr. Saroyan was shunted over to the coroner's office for Washington D.C. We also found out from just talking to Angela Montenegro that when Dr. Saroyan started working for the Jeffersonian, she was seriously talking about firing Dr. Brennan. Angela warned her that if she did that, she'd lose the entire staff at the Lab and she included you, Agent Booth. Now I don't know if that was just the fact that you, Dr. Brennan and she didn't get along at first or she was told to try to break up the partnership, but she did think about it."

Seeing that he had Booth's reluctant attention, Reed continued, "We know that from day one, Dr. Saroyan has insisted that everything that went to the FBI went through her first. She'd been heard a few times calling herself a diuretic seagull. She didn't want anything going to you before she heard it first. Now on the face of that, it sounds like she was just being a careful administrator but knowing everything you knew would be very handy if she was answering to someone else."

Trying to be patient, Booth interjected, "That doesn't prove she's the mole."

Staring at the floor, Reed shook his head slowly, "We don't have a confession, Booth. Someone is the mole and the NSA has been working overtime trying to pin down who it is. This is their best guess and it looks good to the Agency. Hell, we can be wrong, I know you want us to be wrong, but look, until we know for certain, she's our main suspect."

Clasping Booth's hand tightly, Brennan advised them, "Angela gave Cam a flash drive containing the information she retrieved from the nipple ring of Wesley Foster. She also gave me a copy and Angela probably has several copies in her possession also."

Staring over Brennan's shoulder, Reed considered it, "That may not be as bad as it sounds. She may have had a copy but she knew there were other copies out there and she didn't have access to them. She didn't have anyway to shut down Angela without giving herself away, so I guess in the long run all that flash drive gave them was an idea of just what you guys had."

His breathing a little rough, Booth insisted, "This is all hear-say evidence. You don't have real proof that Cam is the mole. She's my oldest friend and I don't believe for a minute that she would put my life in danger . . . no way. She loves me . . . I love her . . . she's part of my family and no way she would do this. Hell, I'd trust her before my own brother."

Feeling frustrated, Reed stared intently at Booth, "Look. . . I'm telling you what the NSA and the Agency believes. They believe she's the one. Hell, maybe we are wrong, I hope for your sake we are, but this is everyone's best guest. Until we know different, she's the one we're going to keep an eye on. We need to find out who the Puppet Master is and we want to shut him down. He's done enough damage. You can fight us or you can help us but we will keep looking and we will stop him one way or another. . . . Are you in or are you out?"

Glancing at Brennan and then back at Reed, Booth suddenly growled, "I'm in damn it."

"Good, when are you going back to work?" Staring intently at Booth, Reed prodded him, "If you want to clean up the mess at the FBI, you're going to have to do it from the inside."

Now that the subject had turned from Cam, Booth was relieved, "I know that but I'm still suspended, remember? The press won't forget about that leaked info about that job I did when I was a Ranger. I may not be able to get my job back."

Snorting, Reed shook his head, "Oh, you'll get your job back alright. That's already being taken care of. As for that leaked info the good Congressman put out there. . . well, that's going to be taken care of too. Let's face it, Booth. When you go back to your job, you're going to own the FBI for quite awhile. Stark and the Director are screwed and they know it. They came down on the wrong side and they will pay for it. They know it's coming, they just don't know when or how. We're certain that neither of them belong to the Puppet Master but they're political and they let their political side dictate how they treated you when the shit hit the fan. When you go back, you will probably be the most powerful person at the Hoover. You can use that power to help us get who ever is behind this mess."

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Reviews would be great. I hope this makes sense so far.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: As a bonus and because I want to try to finish this story before September 25, I am posting this chapter today.

Now to shake everyone up some more: I told you in chapter 10 not to jump to conclusions. You should know by now, I never write anything in a straight line. Where would be the fun in that?

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

As soon as their guest had left, Booth stood up and started to pace, "Bones, he's wrong about Cam. I know he is."

Sitting on the couch, watching her husband pace with balled fists, Brennan interrupted him, "I think you're right, Booth."

Surprised, Booth stopped and stared at Brennan, "Really?"

Standing, Brennan walked over to where Booth was standing and placed her hands on his waist, "Yes. I think there is a better candidate than Cam."

Relieved, Booth placed his arms around her and moved her into a close embrace, "Thank you, Bones. I know you don't really trust gut instinct but I know I'm right."

His arms like a security blanket, Brennan closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of her husband. She'd missed him so much while he'd been gone and she couldn't help but want to be held by him as much as possible. "I don't think you'll like who I think it is any better, Booth."

Leery, Booth took a deep breath and asked, "Who do you think it is?"

Releasing him and moving away from him so she could look at his face, Brennan replied, "I think it's Sweets."

Shaking his head slowly, Booth protested, "No . . . why?"

"Well if we look at it logically, you'll see why." Moving over to the couch, Brennan sat down and patted the couch next to her, "Sweets was assigned to us after you arrested Dad. The FBI wanted to see if we could work together after Dad was incarcerated."

Sitting next to Brennan, Booth sat at an angel and placed his hand on her knee, "Right."

Relieved that he was listening to her, Brennan frowned, "He studied us and met with us twice a week up until Dad's trial. After the trial he became your profiler so every case we worked on was available to him."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth reminded her, "His becoming our profiler was my idea not his."

Accepting that, Brennan nodded her head, "Yes, I think that's when he became the mole. I have no idea what leverage was used to turn him but I think it was done then."

His hand squeezing her knee, Booth asked, "I need to know what's your proof Bones."

Nodding her head, Brennan complied, "I don't have proof, Booth. Everything I'm going to say is anecdotal. You know I prefer solid evidence but like the CIA and the NSA I don't have any. All I have is speculation and logic."

Releasing her knee, Booth leaned into the corner of the couch and encouraged her, "Alright, I understand. Just tell me why you think the mole is Sweets because I'm having a hard time believing he would betray me or anyone else."

"Do you remember when you were shot by Pam Nunan and the FBI faked your death?" Watching him rub the area of his chest where his scar existed from that incident, she nodded her head, "Yes of course you do. I was supposed to be notified that you were alive but I wasn't. I was quite angry with you and didn't hide that fact."

"Yeah, I know. Sweets was supposed to tell you and he didn't." Lowering his hand, Booth said, "That's old news though. He said it was for security reasons which was utter bullshit by the way."

Unhappy with the whole situation, Brennan ignored his interruption, "What you don't know is that it was all part of an experiment to see how I would react when I heard that you were dead. At least that's what I surmised was going on at the time. I thought that he wanted to observe my emotional state for that book he was writing about our partnership."

Angry, Booth inhaled sharply, "That son-of-a-bitch. Why didn't you tell me?"

Placing her hand on his thigh, Brennan kept her voice even, "I didn't want you to hurt him and you might have if you'd thought he'd done what he did so he could use it for a book. As it was you wanted me to hit him and I didn't want to take the risk. I was certain that if either of us had harmed him then our partnership would have been severed."

"I don't see why this makes him the mole." His knee starting to bob up and down a little, Booth remarked, "Sure he was unethical but that doesn't mean he was working for someone. He was twelve and kids do stupid things. I mean it pisses me off that he did that but he was just a kid."

Certain she was correct, Brennan continued, "I've come to the conclusion that the reason he didn't tell me that you were dead was twofold. Yes, he was writing a book about our relationship and he really was interested in the data he was collecting but I think this was his first attempt to break up our partnership. He knew that I didn't trust very many people and that to break a trust with me was something I wasn't likely to forgive. If he truly was just interested in his book and nothing else, I believe he would have told me before the funeral but he didn't. By not telling me he was risking our partnership and his project. He had to know that."

"Wait, first attempt." A coldness spreading down his back, Booth shook his head, "What do you mean the first attempt?"

Aware that her husband was becoming angry again, Brennan pressed her hand on his knee, "After we started our relationship, you told me that after your brain surgery Sweets tried to prove to you that you weren't in love with me. You said that you wanted to tell me that you were in love with me but he put a lot of doubt into your mind and you started to think it was possible he was right. I don't think you telling me you loved me would have made a difference at the time but that is beside the point. He sowed doubt about your intentions towards me which affected our partnership, so that was his second attempt to end our partnership or at least damage it. The third time he tried to break us up was after he finished his book and we pointed out the fallacies of his book. His project was complete and he prodded you to press your case with me. One minute he's telling you that you aren't in love with me and then miraculously he thinks you are in love with me and you should do something about it. He wanted you to press your intentions with me. He knew that I was too afraid to move our relationship forward and he influenced you to ask me to have a relationship with you anyways. I wasn't ready and when you asked me I panicked. It influenced what happened later including me going to the Maluku dig. The effect of my leaving is that you felt that you had nothing to stay for and you went to Afghanistan. What he did was disrupt our partnership. As it turns out it wasn't permanent but it could have been because the result was, you met Hannah and tried to move on with her."

Embarrassed, Booth sighed, "I should have ignored my feelings and waited. I knew I was wrong when I pushed you but I just let my frustrations get to me."

Shaking her head, Brennan corrected him, "Sweets had studied us for his book and he knows what our insecurities are and he knows how to manipulate you under certain circumstances." Seeing him open his mouth to protest, Brennan lifted her hand to forestall him, "He knows how to manipulate people, Booth. It's what he's good at. The fourth time he tried to break up our partnership, he influenced you into asking Hannah to marry you. You told me that Sweets said that he was going to get married to Daisy and that somehow you felt that you needed to do the same thing with Hannah. He manipulated some how. I've thought about it and I really do believe that. The fact that Hannah refused your proposal was the bug in his ointment. He probably thought she'd say yes."

"He really wanted to marry, Daisy, Bones. He just . . ." Staring across the room, Booth thought about it. "No, we know that's wrong. He never intended to marry Daisy. On the day he was going to move in with her he broke up with her. He. . . ."

Watching him grind his teeth, Brennan patted his knee, "We can't prove that any of the things he did was intentional and that he was trying to end our partnership, Booth. I am merely speculating . . . using my gut."

Clasping her hand, Booth turned his attention back towards Brennan, "It makes more sense than Cam. I can't fault anything you said. . . . God, I hate this. I . . . I adopted him as my little brother. I . . . I loved him more that my own brother. I . . . I don't want it to be true. I know what you said sounds convincing but I really hope you're wrong. I think . . ."

Closing his eyes, Booth shook his head, "Who ever this puppet master is, I want him, Bones. If its true, I don't know how he got Sweets to do what he wanted him to do but I'm telling you I want whoever is behind this dead. If he was standing right here in this house, I'd kill him and not worry about the consequences. He's used people to try to destroy our partnership and when that failed he tried to kill me. His plans fell through because I killed his assassins so he tried to have me killed in prison. That failed so God knows what he's going to try next."

Anger flaring up, Brennan grabbed Booth's hand, "You should have told me that someone tried to kill you in prison, Booth."

Realizing he'd reminded her of something he'd wanted her to forget, Booth shook his head and lied, "I wasn't in danger. I stopped the attacks and Max Boyer . . . well Miles Reed had someone kill them. They never laid a hand on me. I'm a Ranger for God's sake. Those idiots never had a chance."

Angry, Brennan began, "Booth . . . "

Capturing her hands, Booth leaned over and kissed her, "Nothing happened, Bones."

Hearing running feet coming towards them, Booth turned his head and saw his daughter burst into the room, "Daddy, why you in here? Come play with me."

Standing, Booth scooped up his wet daughter and laughed, "Mommy probably doesn't want you dripping water all over the place, Baby." Feeling his shirt becoming damp from his daughter's drenched bathing suit, Booth walked towards the back of the house, "Come on, let's go back outside."

Max, entering the living room, threw up his hands, "She's quick. She ran into the house before I could dry her off."

Standing, Brennan smiled, "Don't worry about it, Dad. I'll wipe up the water."

Carrying his daughter through the kitchen and back outside, he lowered her to the ground once they were on the patio. Stripping off his soggy shirt and then his shoes and socks, Booth ran over to the sprinkler and ran around it. Christine, laughing, chased her father around the sprinkler shrieking, "I'm going to get you, Daddy."

Watching his granddaughter and son-in-law playing around the sprinkler, Max smiled.

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Reviews would be great. Thank you. The next chapter will be updated next Tuesday.


	12. Chapter 12

I apologize for my chapters getting longer but there is a lot going on and I don't want to interrupt the flow of the story. I also want to finish it up before September 25.

A/N: just in case you aren't aware of it, I posted chapter 11 last Thursday as a bonus.

I don't own Bones.

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The knock on the door, loud and persistent, invaded Booth's peace, forcing him to investigate who was bothering him at such an early hour. Yanking the front door open, Booth barked out, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Throwing his arms around Booth, Hodgins laughed, "Man, it is so good to see you."

Annoyed, Booth rigidly accepted his friends hug. "How many times do I have to tell you I like handshakes, Hodgins?"

Releasing him, the entomologist laughed again, "I had to do it man. . . . Can I come in?"

Stepping back, Booth allowed his friend to enter the house, "You do know it's a little after seven don't you? I'm the only one up right now."

Shrugging his shoulders, Hodgins glanced at the kitchen doorway, "Yeah, I know. I've been sitting out on the porch since 6:30. I was just waiting for a reasonable time so I could knock on the door."

"You think seven is reasonable? . . . Okay, whatever." Entering the kitchen, Booth walked over to the counter, picked up a mixing bowl and continued to stir his pancake batter, "Want some coffee?"

His eyes skimming the counter, Hodgins noticed the partially filled coffee pot, "Thanks. I'll get it though." Grabbing a cup from the counter near the pot, he filled the cup with the dark brew and then doctored it with sugar from the sugar bowl resting on the kitchen table. Sipping the hot drink, he sat down and stared at Booth, "You look good."

Keeping his eye on his mixing bowl, Booth replied, "Yeah, thanks. I have a doctor's appointment today to see about my gunshot wounds. I over did it playing with Christine yesterday so that probably means I still need some therapy, but really, I'm doing pretty good."

"That's great man." Sipping his coffee, Hodgins studied Booth and finally said, "Look, I wanted to talk to you as soon as possible. First, I want to apologize for not going to see you in the prison but I wanted to stick close to Angela while she was working on finding something to free you. I felt that I needed to be at the Jeffersonian and Dr. B kept us up to date on you so I was sure you'd understand . . . do you?"

Placing the bowl on the counter, Booth grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee. Walking over to the table, Booth placed the coffee cup down on the table and then sat down, "I do understand. I was counting on you to watch out for everyone while I was away."

Proud, Hodgins smiled, "Thanks . . . Are you going back to work at the FBI?"

After spooning some sugar in to his coffee, Booth sipped some of the sweet drink and then placed the cup down, "Yeah, I need my job back so I can go after whoever is behind all of this."

"Good, good. I want to help." Clasping his hands together, Hodgins explained, "For years I knew that something was wrong with some of the movers and shakers in this country but everyone just thought I was a nutcase. Jack the conspiracy theorist, ignore him . . . he's a loon. Everyone forgot that I grew up with some very powerful people in my life and I knew what they were capable of. My own father warned me to never trust everyone just because they were friends of the family. He told me that some things started to change when he was a young man but he never really understood what was happening. He hired private investigators to look into it when he was older and he thought he was getting close to something just before he died . . . Two weeks before he died, he told me that our government was being influenced and not in good ways. He knew but he didn't have any proof and then he and Mom were killed in a supposed accident . . . I knew it wasn't an accident but no one would listen to me. Someone killed my parents to keep my father quiet. I knew it and I never could prove it. I guess that's why I was angry so much. No one ever listened to me at least not until we uncovered that mess with Director Robert Kirby and people I knew and worked with started to realize that there really were secret organizations and some of them might be deadly. I think that saved me. Knowing that I wasn't the only one that knew that something was wrong, it was a relief actually."

Staring at his cup of coffee, Booth frowned, "I never took you seriously until then. After Max killed Kirby we all knew that Kirby's death wasn't the end of whatever was going on but we never saw any signs that something active was happening until Bones broke open the Ghost Killer case. The weird thing about that is we have Christopher Pelant to thank for that. The man was a psycho but he was a genius and firewalls on computers might as well have been tissue paper. If he wanted to see something he did. He's the one that told Bones about the Ghost Killer. He had to have known that there was more to it but he didn't say anything. Maybe that was part of the plan. Get Bones on his side and then tell her everything he knew. He thought he was a patriot and in his way he was trying to protect this country from hidden enemies. I guess we'll never know since I killed the son-of-a-bitch. I thought I was getting rid of something evil. Who knew there was worse than him out there waiting to come after me if I got too close?"

Reaching out his hand, Hodgins patted Booth's hand and then withdrew it, "When are you going back to the Hoover?"

"I think I'll be able to go back next week, at least I hope so." Careful with what he said, Booth explained, "Someone told me that I'll be able to get my job back so I'm just waiting for them to do whatever they're doing and they give me the go ahead to talk to Stark and the Director. I was told to give it about week."

Cautious, Hodgins leaned forward, "I'm not going to ask who you're talking about. I have a pretty good idea but I'm sure it's need to know and I'm fine with that. I want to help you clean house, Booth. I want to find out who's been pulling strings and who ordered that hit on you. I want revenge for what they did to my parents and I don't care what you ask me to do, I'll do it. I'm your man, Booth. I'm in this to the end."

Grateful to have such a friend, Booth smiled, "Thanks. I don't know what I need right now. Just let me get my job back first and then we'll see what we need to do."

Sipping more coffee, Hodgins delayed the next part of the conversation. His coffee cup empty, he placed it down and then leaned back, "Do you . . . uh . . . do you have any ideas who the mole is? . . I think I know who it is but I don't want to upset you."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Booth stared at this cup, "The person arranging to get my job back told me a name but I don't believe them. Bones has someone else in mind and I think I trust her guess more than the other one, but the truth is I've been praying that it isn't either one of them. I really don't want it to be either one."

Clearing his throat, Hodgins pointed at himself, "I'm not a suspect am I?"

"No way man" Shaking his head Booth replied, "No way. You're one of the people I know for a fact that I can trust. . . . Cam's name has been mentioned and so has Sweets." Watching Hodgins for a reaction Booth wasn't disappointed,

"Cam? Are they out of their mind?" Disbelief clearly written on his face, Hodgins waved his right hand hard, "No way. Not Cam. I've worked with her close enough to know that she's one of the good ones."

Relieved, Booth smiled, "Thanks. I don't think it's her either. . . . Bones thinks it's Sweets."

Not surprised, Hodgins nodded his head, "Me too. He was brought in after you arrested Max Keenan and the timing always seemed to be a little odd to me. Sure they said it was because they questioned you and Dr. B working together after you arrested him but everyone knew that Max turned himself in and Dr. B didn't hold it against you. Talking to her for five minutes would have cleared that up. That whole partners counseling seemed pretty thin to me and over time it just seemed liked Sweets was playing you like a fiddle. You made it pretty clear that Dr B was supposed to be told you were alive when they had you go undercover after you were shot by Pam Nunan but she wasn't told. Angela found out from Dr. B that Sweets was the one that was supposed to tell her and he didn't. That seemed like a good way to try to break up your partnership to me."

Angry, Booth tapped his finger on the table top, "Hey no one plays me like a fiddle."

Shrugging his shoulders, Hodgins frowned, "I hate to say it, but he has a lot of influence over you Booth, maybe more than you realize or more that is good for you."

Glaring at his friend, Booth stood up and strode over to the counter. Grabbing his mixing bowl, he stared at the contents and then slammed the bowl down on the counter, creating a crack in the bowl. Disgusted, Booth threw the bowl in the trash.

Concerned, Hodgins stood up and took a step towards Booth.

Scowling, Booth shook his head, "Stay there. Don't come near me, not right now . . . Just stay there."

Max, entering the room, saw Hodgins sitting back down at the table while staring at Booth. Booth, standing near the island, tried regain a sense of calm but only felt rage and the urge to hit something.

Worried, Max asked, "Booth are you alright?"

Looking up, Booth replied, "Yes. I'm just . . . I'm . . . I'm finding it hard to accept a hard truth about myself. Just . . . just give me a minute to . . . a minute, I need a minute."

Sitting at the table across from Hodgins, Max frowned, "Thanks for coming over, Hodgins. Tempe is going to really appreciate you stirring up Booth."

Interrupting his father-in-law, Booth growled, "Leave Hodgins alone, Max. He was just agreeing with Bones about something and I took it personal. It's alright. He's right and I'm wrong. I trusted someone that I probably shouldn't have and it's all on me. I'm just angry that's all."

Calmly and quietly, Max responded, "I overheard your conversation because I was sitting in the living room. I was going to talk to you about the FBI mole in the next few days but I guess now is as good of a time as any. We really need to talk about that and some other stuff."

Startled, Booth and Hodgins turned to stare at Max. Smirking, Max shook his head, "If you think I've been sitting on my thumbs since I killed Kirby then you're both very naive."

His emotions finally under control, Booth asked, "Who do you think is the mole?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max answered, "I think I've suspected something was wrong since Tempe and you ran away from each other. I knew someone must have stuck their big nose in where it wasn't wanted. I talked to Tempe the night before she took off for Maluku and she told me about you and her confronting Sweets about his book and she told me how he influenced you into trying to get her to move into a closer relationship with you. She was sad and a little confused and let's face it she was also angry at Sweets at the time. She was certain that her friendship with you was over or at least damaged. She needed someone to talk to and I was it. She told me everything and I put two and two together. If Sweets was trying to break up your partnership, he did a damn fine job of pushing the right buttons. I wasn't really sure about him so I started to keep an eye on him as well as the two men that I knew were Kirby's accomplices. I never thought to look for anyone else inside the FBI but what Sweets did made me nervous. There were some other men outside the FBI that Kirby was conspiring with but those men knew I knew who they were and they kept their distance. I really didn't know that there was a master manipulator behind the whole thing until I got a visit from the NSA. To say I was shocked that the NSA was interested in me is an understatement."

Concerned, Hodgins asked, "The NSA told you about Sweets?"

Shaking his head, Max replied, "No. I told them about the two FBI agents I'd been keeping track of and those guys were quietly picked up the day before you were attacked in your home, Booth. I think their disappearance and you confronting the congressman was what pushed whoever is calling the shots to panic and try to get rid of you. . . Anyway, when Tempe told me what happened outside the Hoover a few years ago, I looked into Sweets background and well, let's just say I've been trying to keep an eye on him ever since. I guess I should have mentioned my suspicions to you but when you came back from Afghanistan you and Tempe were kind of in a strained situation and I didn't want to add to both of your stress levels. I didn't have any proof and Sweets never did anything that I could see that proved he was in league with anyone. I mean, I could have been wrong and he might have just been a meddlesome busy body. I thought I could keep an eye on him and if he turned out to be a plant then I thought I'd have plenty of time to tell you. The whole thing just took off and I didn't get a chance. I'm sorry."

Crossing the room, Booth placed his hand on Max's shoulder, "You didn't fail us, Max. This just turned out to be a lot bigger than we all knew. We all had our hands in the lion's mouth before we realized he had teeth. The person behind this has been playing us for years and we didn't know it. If Sweets is the mole and I hope to God he isn't, then he's just one more puppet. We're all puppets and its time we cut the strings. We need to find out who is behind all of this and when we do there are going to be a lot of people in serious trouble. At this point, I don't care. All those people made their beds and they are going to have to live with it. We need to stop this and we need to do it as soon as we can."

Raising his hand, Hodgins exclaimed, "Count me in. Tell me what to do and I'll do it. I'm your man one hundred percent."

Smiling, Max held up his hand, "You can count on me too."

Stepping into the room, Brennan smiled, "Good, we can use all the help we can get."

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Reviews would be great. Thank you.


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you for your encouraging reviews. I appreciate them all.

I don't own Bones.

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Entering the kitchen, Brennan noticed that Booth was standing next to the counter. Ingredients for making pancakes were on the counter but she didn't see a mixing bowl. Walking over to where he was standing, she pulled a mixing bowl from the cabinet above her, "Booth one of our bowls is missing, have you started a batter already?"

Embarrassed, Booth shook his head, "I accidentally broke the bowl."

Carrying the bowl over to her husband, she kissed him and then handed him the bowl. "If you'll start the batter, I'll cut up some fruit. We can have our meeting over breakfast. I checked on Christine and she's still asleep. She'll probably sleep for another hour or two."

Taking the bowl, Booth noticed the slight shake in his hand and sighed, "Sounds good."

Max, trying to be of use, set the table for the four of them while Hodgins observed all of the activity, "What should we do about Sweets? We don't really know if it's him. We're just guessing and there's a chance we're wrong."

Measuring his ingredients for his batter carefully, Booth responded, "Not to mention the CIA thinks it's Cam."

Almost chocking on his sip of coffee, Hodgins started to cough. Concerned Max hit the top of the man's back a few times.

Clearing his throat, Hodgins asked, "The CIA? The CIA is involved?"

Pouring milk into his dry ingredients, Booth answered, "Afraid so. They've been involved for a long time." Stirring the batter a few times, he placed the bowl on the counter and leaned against it. Staring at the batter he told Hodgins and Max what Miles Reed had told Brennan and him the day before.

Stunned, Hodgins shook his head slowly, "I knew this was a mess but . . . the CIA and the NSA?" Rubbing his forehead, the entomologist felt a tightness in his chest that made him slightly nervous. "Okay. . . Okay, this is a good thing not a bad thing. This means we aren't alone in this. We have some help. . . We do have help right?"

Keeping his hands on the counter, Booth looked at Hodgins, "Yeah, we do. They're scared shitless over at the CIA and NSA. They want to find out whoever is behind this mess and stop him. I have a feeling they won't care how the guy is stopped either."

Snorting, Max sat down next to Hodgins and sipped some coffee from his mug, "A bullet through the guy's brain would solve a lot of problems for a lot of people."

Angry, Booth protested, "I am not a murderer. When I catch that guy he is going to stand trial for what he did. I want to be there, in the observation room, when the Federal government kills his sorry ass."

Carrying a bowl of fruit over to the table, Brennan placed it on the center of the table and came back to where Booth was standing. Picking up the bowl, she stirred the batter for a few times, "We still have to decide how to handle Cam and Sweets. Personally I think we should limit who we bring into our group. Cam and Sweets are both suspects but there is a possibility that they may not be the mole and the real mole may be someone else that we have trusted in the past. If we aren't careful our trust may be used against us."

Nodding his head, Booth took out his griddle and placed it on the stove. Letting it heat up, Booth watched Brennan continue to mix the batter, "We need to bring Angela and Caroline into our group and leave it at that. We're going to have to be careful around Cam and Sweets and I guess everyone else and make sure that we don't let on what we're really up to."

Handing the bowl to Booth, Brennan continued, "We will of course have to let Cam and Sweets know a little of what we are up to or they will become suspicious of our intentions. We need to make sure that no one outside of our group knows that we are being helped by the CIA or the NSA. It would be better if it looks like we're investigating on our own."

Holding up his hand, Hodgins cleared his throat, "I hate to ask this but I really have to, how do we know we can trust Caroline?"

His anger flaring up, Booth carefully placed his bowl down on the counter next to the stove and turned to stare at Hodgins. His breathing rough and his face a mask of anger, everyone in the room was aware that Booth was on the edge of an explosion.

Placing her hand on Booth's arm, Brennan said, "Booth, it's a legitimate question."

Staring at Brennan's hand, Booth struggled to control his anger, "Caroline isn't the mole. There is no way she's the mole. Hodgins might as well say you or Angela is the mole. If I can't trust Caroline then I can't trust anyone, do you understand? I can't suspect everyone, I just can't do it. It's bad enough that the CIA suspects Cam and everyone else suspects Sweets. I have to have . . . Everyone is asking me to suspect people that I love and . . . My world can't be this screwed up. It just can't be. I'd trust Caroline with my life. Hell I think I have. She wouldn't allow someone to try to kill me, she just wouldn't and neither would Cam and I really can't see Sweets doing it either. I swear we're missing something. I just . . . we're missing something."

Gripping his arm, Brennan spoke softly, "Booth, we'll continue to have Angela go through the data that we got from Wesley Foster. Maybe she can find out who the FBI mole is using the data. We need to find a way to prove who the mole is. You're right we need hard evidence but it's going to take time. In the mean time, our group will consist of us, Dad, Hodgins, Angela and Caroline. I don't believe that Caroline would ever betray you either. She loves you and she would never put your life in jeopardy. She worked very hard trying to help you while you were in prison but the Director of the FBI and the Attorney General stopped all of her efforts. She was actually suspended from her job for over a month. She didn't get her job back until the day you were released from prison. I think it is safe to say she is an ally not an enemy."

Relieved, Booth's anger evaporated. "Thanks Bones." Kissing her he turned and picked up his bowl, pouring some batter on the hot griddle, he started to make pancakes.

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After everyone left, Booth went upstairs to check on his daughter. Finding her awake, he helped her change her clothes and told her that her grandfather was downstairs waiting to help her with breakfast. Watching her run from the room, Booth made his daughter's bed and placed her pjs in the dresser. Sitting on the bed, he stared at the floor.

Brennan, missing her husband after a little while went in search of him. Finding him in Christine's bedroom, she walked over and sat on the bed next to him, "Booth, I think you need some help."

Continuing to stare at the floor, he sighed, "I know, Bones. I know that but who do you want me to talk to? I can't talk to Sweets. Everyone is so damn sure he's the mole I can't trust him. I can't talk to Cam, the CIA or the NSA would have a cow and probably change their minds about helping us. They might squeeze us out completely. Who else is there to talk to? Pops is gone. We can't trust anyone. I'm . . . I'm alone."

"No, that isn't true." Protesting, Brennan placed her arms around him, "No, you aren't alone. You have me and Christine and Parker. You are never going to be alone ever again."

Emotional, Booth closed his eyes, feeling tears threatening to slide down his face, "I know that Bones. I just mean that my world has turned to absolute shit. Besides you and the kids I'm supposed to distrust everyone and . . . and that's hard. I've been alone so much of my life and now. . . . I . . . I need help, Bones. My temper is so. . . I feel like I'm going to explode all of the time. Sometimes I can barely control it. I broke that damn mixing bowl this morning because I got angry. I didn't sleep worth a damn last night and I've been up since four this morning. I know what's wrong, I know I need help but where can I get it?"

"Couldn't you talk to someone at the VA?" Trying to come up with a solution, Brennan started to think outside the box. "Perhaps you can talk to someone there."

Shaking his head, Booth responded, "I don't think that's a good idea, Bones. The Director of the FBI might try to use that against me and keep me out of my job."

An idea presenting itself, Brennan asked him, "Can you talk to Hank Lutrell? He might be able to help you at least temporarily. Maybe once we find out who the real mole is and who the Puppet Master is it will be safe for you to get professional help."

Surprised, Booth turned his head to look at his wife, "Maybe that would work. Let me think about it. I need to make sure we can trust him." Laughing harshly, Booth shook his head, "It's a hell of a note that I have to distrust almost everyone I love. I . . ." Pulling her into his arms, Booth leaned his head against her head, "I love you Bones. You're the only one I know for sure that won't betray me. You're the only one."

Knowing he was in pain, Brennan reassured him, "I will never betray you, Booth. I love you."

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